Frozen 2: South Korean NGO sues Disney over screen monopoly
Frozen 2
In what comes as a surprise for all Disney fans, a South Korean NGO has filed a complaint against Walt Disney alleging that their latest film ‘Frozen 2’ has violated the country’s anti-monopoly laws by occupying 88 per cent of the domestic movie screens.
The Public Welfare Committee (PWC), an NGO based in Seoul, requested a probe into Walt Disney Korea's suspected monopoly of the domestic movie market. They complained that Disney has violated the country’s antitrust act.
As per a report published in The Hollywood Reporter, PWC in its complaint said that by occupying more than 50 per cent of the market, Disney is trying to garner huge profits in a short time. It said, "Attempted to monopolize the screens and seek great profit in the short term, restricting the consumer's right to choose.”
Disney has for a long time enjoyed a massive fan base in South Korea like everywhere else. As for ‘Frozen 2’, the animation film that was released on November 23 in South Korea, has minted $61.2 million in Korea. Meanwhile, it has crossed $700 million in global box office collections.
This is not a standalone case as several media reports have stated before that a group of filmmakers earlier issued a statement requesting the government to take steps to prevent domination of screens by big-budget movies, in order to provide space for small budget films.
